A Canadian retailer focused on younger consumers has been growing rapidly in the United States and has just opened its 150th location in Huntington Station, NY.
The new location brings the total Showcase store portfolio in the U.S. to 41, with the focus being the Northeast region. The company recently debuted a 147,000-square-foot U.S. national distribution center in Batavia, NY, Showcase noted. Of the 41 stores in the U.S., 31 have opened over the past six months.
Founded in Edmonton, Alberta in 1994, Showcase specializes in unique products that address trends in home, health, beauty, toys, novelty candy and food categories. Showcase stores range around 1,200 to 1,500 square feet and are designed to be fun, interactive, and demo-friendly, the company maintained. Customers are encouraged to try before buying as the majority of products are on open display. Other signature Showcase shopping features are based on knowledgeable staff, time-sensitive promotions, flash discounts and product demos. Shoppers can also enjoy weekly live online shopping events, the company noted.
Showcase uses proprietary trendspotting technology powered by algorithms and most recently AI, to understand and identify trending products quickly, the company indicated. Its agility allows Showcase to be the fastest to market, the company asserted, as, on average, each trend goes from concept to shelf in 53 days, with some of the top 10 items launching in as little as 16 days.
Showcase focuses on building its customer base on moms with kids and Gen Zers, it emphasized, expanding existing categories and adding new products to the lineup. It offers same-day delivery in Canada via DoorDash and will roll out the service in the U.S. later this year.
“With our aggressive 2022 expansion program completed, quadrupling our footprint in the US, Showcase has big plans in 2023,” said Samir Kulkarni, CEO, Showcase. “We will now focus our attention on growing our customer base in new markets, revolutionizing the business model using AI, enhancing our product selection with new categories, and introducing same-day delivery service.”
